1. Field of the Art
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus capable of recording characters and graphical representations and/or data tables, and more particularly to a display of the recording apparatus which indicates character data, and numerical data of graphical representations and/or data table.
2. Related Art Statement
There is known a recording apparatus which includes: (a) an input device through which character data representing characters and graph data representing graphs are entered; (b) display means for displaying the character data and the graph data entered through the input device; (c) a memory for storing the character data and the graph data entered through the input device; (d) a recording mechanism for effecting relative movements of a recording instrument and a recording medium, for recording the characters and graphs represented by the character and graph data; and (e) control means for controlling the display means and the recording mechanism according to the character data and the graph data, respectively.
In a recording apparatus of the type indicated above, there arises a need of plotting a graph between written descriptions or between adjacent groups of statements or words. In such instance, graph data defining a graph should be entered by interrupting the entry of a batch of character data for the written descriptions or statements. With the interruption of entry of the character data, the graph data is displayed on the display means in place of the character data which has been displayed. In this condition, the display means does not enable the operator to check the position in which the graph data is inserted, namely, the position of the graph in relation to the adjacent written descriptions or statements.
Also known in the art is a similar recording apparatus capable of recording graphical representations and/or data tables, including: (a) an input device through which plural groups of numerical data are entered for one of the graphical representations and/or data tables, each one of the plural groups of numerical data consisting of a plurality of numerical values; (b) a memory for storing the plural groups of numerical data entered through the input device; (c) a recording mechanism for effecting relative movements between a recording instrument and a recording medium, for recording the graphical representations and/or data tables; and (d) recording control means for controlling the recording mechanism according to the plural groups of numerical data stored in the memory. Usually, the recording apparatus uses a display device which is adapted to display the entered numerical values. For reduced cost, size and weight of the apparatus, the display device has a relatively small display area which covers a portion of the entered numerical data, namely, the display area is not large enough to display all of the entered numerical values at one time.
In a recording apparatus of the type indicated above, the operator feels difficulty in grasping the entered numerical data as a whole, because the display area is relatively small. This inconvenience is particularly serious where the numerical data consists of a large number of numerical values. Further, with the small display device, it is not easy to accomplish editing or correction of the numerical data stored in the memory.